On Saturday, Oxford High School hosted the 54th Annual Elmer Ball Track and Field Invitational.

Oxford Head Coach Matt Johnson said it was the largest invitational in the “history of the event.”

Twenty-nine teams were represented. “The Oxford Invite was a boys-only event until the middle of the 1990s and (it) has continued to grow with the inclusion of the girls teams,” Johnson explained.

Oxford’s boys team placed sixth out of 25 scoring teams, while the girls placed 14th out of 22 scoring teams.

“We were pleased with the performance of both the girls and boys teams,” Johnson said. “This invite attracts the top athletes in the state.”

As usual, OHS senior Connor Bandel was a force to be reckoned with. The powerhouse broke his previous school and meet records in shot put and discus throw.

In shot put, his distance was 61 feet 5 inches. In the discus throw, his distance was 204 feet 2 inches.

“His throws were huge,” Johnson said. “He’s now ranked number two in the nation in discus. He’s 2 inches behind another kid.” – CJC